The NHL asked for -- and has now received -- a collective bargaining proposal from the NHL Players' Association. We will soon see whether it's what the league was looking for in the effort to end the lockout.
The players' association submitted an offer to the league this morning in New York, and the NHL is expected to respond when meetings resume at 1 p.m. The sides gathered at 10:30 this morning and broke about an hour later.
Union leader Donald Fehr told reporters in New York the offer is about as good as the players can do. Reports say the NHLPA has dropped its desire for guaranteed dollar amounts and instead will accept a fixed percentage of revenues. The NHL said this week it would never accept guaranteed dollar amounts.
Fehr also told reporters the sides are only $189 million apart over the life of the five-year deal, though the league and union have crunched numbers differently throughout the process.
Negotiations today are viewed as a last-ditch effort to avoid further game cancellations. All games through Nov. 30 have been axed.
---John Vogl
